Sign in
← Database
Sympathomimetic Stimulant

DMAA

Overview

A potent stimulant formerly sold in supplements; the FDA has acted to remove it from the market, and it is associated with hypertension, cardiac events, strokes, and deaths.

How it works

DMAA (1,3-dimethylamylamine) is a powerful synthetic stimulant that was once sold in pre-workout and weight-loss supplements before being banned.

It acts as a sympathomimetic — mimicking the body's 'fight or flight' signals by promoting the release of noradrenaline and constricting blood vessels, which sharply raises blood pressure and heart rate in an amphetamine-like way.

This is the one entry where the 'how it works' is really a warning: DMAA has been linked to severe high blood pressure, heart attacks, bleeding in the brain, and deaths, and the FDA has acted to remove it from the market. There is no safe self-administration use — the literature here is overwhelmingly about harm.

Mechanism · Detailed Analysis
Molecular targetA sympathomimetic amine.
Signaling & downstream effectsPromotes noradrenaline release and vasoconstriction, raising blood pressure and heart rate in an amphetamine-like fashion.
CaveatsBanned by the FDA and prohibited in sport. Associated with severe hypertension, cardiac events, cerebral haemorrhage, and deaths — the adverse-event record, not any benefit, is the defining feature.
Published EvidenceLoading cited studies from PubMed…
Human Data ···

Searching the published record…

Animal ···

Searching the published record…

In Vitro ···

Searching the published record…

Educational aggregation of public literature. Not medical advice and not a recommendation to use any compound. Many compounds here are not approved for human use. Consult a licensed clinician.